Street-network Sprawl in Sampit, Indonesia

What is Street-network sprawl?

Street-network Sprawl is a way to measure urban sprawl, worldwide, through the connectedness of the streets. Less sprawl means more connected, more walkable streets. Well-connected streets – like New York City’s grid – are more walkable and can be served by public transit.

The street network is permanent, and its connectivity affects the livability and environmental footprint of cities for decades and centuries to come. In places with more connected streets, residents drive less and walk more. A well-connected street network is associated with better outcomes for health, the environment, sustainable consumption, social integration, and equity.

We can quantify how connected street networks are with the Street Network Disconnectedness Index (SNDi).

SNDi -- our measure of street-network sprawl (disconnectedness)

The SNDi is a comprehensive measurement of “sprawl”. It captures:

A higher SNDi means less-connected streets – i.e., more sprawl. For the 10137 cities in our dataset, the average SNDi is 2.25, with half of the cities' SNDis falling between 1.08 and 3.25.

More information on the sprawl index can be found in these research papers:

To see the state of street-network sprawl across the globe, visit the sprawlmap.

Sampit: city in Kalimantan Tengah, Indonesia

What exactly constitutes the spatial extent of the city? For these aggregations, we used the Global Human Settlement Layer Urban Center Database (GHS-UCDB) to define the boundaries of the city. These cities -- or urban centers -- cover areas that are densely populated and built-up, and so may extend beyond the spatial borders of these cities that we may be familiar with. The GHS area is shaded in blue.

View Sampit, Indonesia on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Sampit as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.92, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.69, 1.7, 1.32 and 3.26. Disconnectivity in street construction in Sampit follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Sampit spans a total of 179 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 1.7, which is relatively well-connected.

Effect on the aggregate network: New construction in each period adds to the total stock of streets, but does not change streets that have already been built. Therefore, it has a limited effect on the street network as a whole. The SNDis of the aggregate street network in the respective time periods are 0.69, 1.69, 1.69 and 1.92. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Sampit has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.99 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.24.

Sampit and Kalimantan Tengah do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Sampit followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Kalimantan Tengah rose steadily.

How do development practices in Sampit fare in comparison to others in Kalimantan Tengah? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Sampit was the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 7 cities in Kalimantan Tengah. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Kalimantan Tengah, street construction in Sampit has become more disconnected. Sampit ranked 6th in 1975, 6th in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

Sampit and Indonesia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Sampit followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Indonesia followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Sampit fare in comparison to others in Indonesia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Sampit was the 201st-most disconnected out of the 363 cities in Indonesia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Indonesia, street construction in Sampit has become more disconnected. Sampit ranked 241st in 1975, 190th in 1976-1990, 239th in 1991-2000 and 201st in 2001-2014.

Sampit and Kalimantan Tengah follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Sampit is the 6th-most disconnected out of the 7 cities in Kalimantan Tengah. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Sampit ranked 6th in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 7th in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014.

Sampit and Indonesia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Sampit rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Indonesia was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, Sampit is the 292nd-most disconnected out of the 363 cities in Indonesia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Indonesia, the street network in Sampit has become more connected. Sampit ranked 241st in 1975, 281st in 1976-1990, 295th in 1991-2000 and 292nd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Sampit had a built-up area of 4.74 square kilometers, and a population of 293514 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: